A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bug shields and deflectors for automobiles, and in particular, for pug or substantially flat front vehicles such as certain motor homes, commercial busses, and over-the-road tractor trailers and trucks.
B. Problems in the Art
The advantages of bug and wind shields and deflectors are well known. By putting a shield or panel across and at or near the front of the vehicle and creating an airflow that is substantially directed up and over the windshield, the windshield can be kept clearer of splattered bugs, debris, and even rain. This can not only ease maintenance and cleaning of the vehicle, but can also improve safety by providing increased visibility to the driver.
A number of these types of shields are commercially available for many cars, pickups, and certain types of over-the-road tractors and trucks. However, there is no known adequate such shield for what will be called pug-nosed vehicles, which for purposes herein includes, but is not limited to, the type of vehicle such as Class A motor homes, many commercial buses, and certain over-the-road tractors and trucks. These types of pug-nosed vehicles have, generally, a substantially blunt or flat front end from the front bumper up to the roof above the windshield.
In comparison, the windshield in non-pug-nosed vehicles is substantially rearward from the front of the vehicle. Bug deflectors are usually mounted at or near the front of the vehicle, spaced well ahead of the windshield. On non-pug-nosed vehicles, the deflector tries to direct air up somewhat upwardly so that it flows in an arc over the windshield that is spaced several feet behind it. However, with pug-nosed vehicles, there is no horizontal spacing between the front of the vehicle and the windshield. They are many times almost co-planar in a vertical plane. This presents the problem of how an air stream can be created to arc over the pug-nosed windshield, when the windshield is in essentially the same vertical plane as the mounting location for a bug deflector.
Additionally, the substantially vertical front and windshield of such pug-nosed vehicles present a more direct surface to bugs as the vehicle moves horizontally than the more sloped or oblique windshields of non-pug-nosed vehicles.
The inventor has identified a real need in the art for a solution or improvement in this area.